Publication details
Panovnická sakralita a obrazová reprezentace panovníka za Karlovců a Otonů
| Title in English | Royal Sacrality and the Visual Representation of the Ruler in the Carolingian and Ottonian Periods |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | Časopis pro kulturní dějiny KUDĚJ |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | odkaz na domovskou stránku článku |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.24132/ZCU.KUDEJ.2026.01.25-37 |
| Keywords | Royal sacrality; Carolingians; Ottonians; illumination; medieval art; iconography; legitimacy of power; political theology |
| Description | This study examines the relationship between royal sacrality and the visual representation of rulership in the Carolingian and Ottonian periods. Through an analysis of figurative painting in illuminated manuscripts, it demonstrates how visual media both reflected and shaped the ideology of power. In the Carolingian era, the concept of the ruler as divinely chosen gradually emerged, reaching a more articulated visual expression under Charles the Bald. The Ottonian period further developed this tradition, emphasizing the direct relationship between the ruler and God and portraying the sovereign as a mediator between the divine and earthly realms. The paper highlights both continuity and transformation in the iconography of rulership and underlines the importance of visual sources in constructing and legitimizing medieval authority. Figurative painting thus appears as a crucial medium of early medieval political theology. |